Interchangeable athletic shoe cover pad

ABSTRACT

An athletic shoe system includes an athletic shoe having an upper, one or more insert pads attached to a region of the upper, and one or more cover pads having substantially the same dimensions as at least one of the insert pads. Each of the one or more insert pads includes a first part of a releasable attachment system. Further, each of the one or more cover pads includes a second part of the releasable attachment system on a lower surface and an ornamental decoration on an upper surface. The cover pads are arranged to be releasably attached to the one or more insert pads using the releasable attachment system. Accordingly, an ornamentation of the athletic shoe is customized by interchanging the cover pad(s) releasably attached to the athletic shoe.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/485,819 filed on Jul. 9, 2003.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The invention relates generally to shoes having ornamental, ordecorative, uppers in which all or part of the ornamentation isinterchangeable.

2. Background Art

Over the years, athletic shoes have grown in popularity such that theycurrently form a multi-billion dollar industry. In many cases, consumerspurchase athletic shoes not for their athletic use, but, rather, as amatter of personal style and fashion. Accordingly, athletic shoes areavailable in a wide variety of styles, colors, and designs, therebyallowing a consumer to purchase shoes that match or accent a particularoutfit.

In a wardrobe, a consumer typically possesses many outfits, each havinga different style, color, and/or design. Thus, in order to ensure thatone's shoes match or accent all of the outfits in one's wardrobe, aconsumer is often forced to purchase several pairs of shoes.Consequently, because a single pair of athletic shoes is typicallyexpensive, purchasing enough pairs of shoes to complement one's wardrobecan become very costly for the consumer.

Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an athletic shoe system inwhich a consumer could customize an appearance of an athletic shoe tomatch or accent outfits having differing styles, colors, and/or designs.Advantageously, with such a system, a consumer would be able to purchasefewer pairs of athletic shoes for his wardrobe, thereby minimizing apercentage of one's budget that is spent on shoes.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

According to one aspect, an athletic shoe system comprises an athleticshoe having an upper; at least one insert pad attached to a region ofthe upper, the at least one insert pad comprising a first part of areleasable attachment system; and at least one cover pad havingsubstantially the same dimensions as the at least one insert pad,wherein the at least one cover pad comprises a second part of thereleasable attachment system and is arranged to be releasably attachedto the at least one insert pad using the releasable attachment system.

According to another aspect, an athletic shoe set comprises a pluralityof cover pads; a pair of athletic shoes, each athletic shoe comprising:an upper; and at least one insert pad attached to a region of the upperand having substantially the same dimensions of at least one of thecover pads, wherein the at least one insert pad of each of the pair ofathletic shoes is arranged to be releasably attached to at least onecover pad of the plurality of cover pads.

According to another aspect, a method for ornamenting an athletic shoe,comprises releasably attaching a first cover pad having an firstornamental decoration to an insert pad disposed on the athletic shoe,wherein releasably attaching the cover pad comprises: interlockinglyattaching the cover pad to the insert pad using a interlock attachmentsystem; and adhesively attaching the cover pad to the insert pad usingan adhesive attachment system.

Other aspects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1 a and 1 b show views of an athletic shoe in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 2 a, 2 b, 2 c, and 2 d show views of a cover pad in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 3 a and 3 b show views of an assembly of an athletic shoe systemin accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 4 a and 4 b show interlock techniques of an athletic shoe systemin accordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 5 a and 5 b show views of athletic shoe systems in accordance withalternate embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described withreference to the above drawings. Like references are used in the figuresto represent like elements.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a method and apparatusfor providing an athletic shoe with an interchangeable cover pad.Embodiments of the present invention further relate to an athletic shoesystem in which an appearance of an athletic shoe may be customized.

In one aspect, the present invention relates to an athletic shoe systemin which an appearance of an athletic shoe may be customized using aplurality of cover pads having differing, or unique, ornamentations.Each cover pad is provided with a part of a releasable attachment systemwhich allows the cover pad to be releasably attached to the athleticshoe. Attached to the athletic shoe is an insert pad having another partof the releasable attachment system, to which the cover pad may bereleasably attached. Advantageously, by interchanging the cover padattached to the athletic shoe with another of the plurality of coverpads, the appearance, or ornamentation, of the athletic shoe may bealtered, or customized. Thus, a consumer may purchase a minimum ofathletic shoe sets, or pairs of athletic shoe systems, required tocustomize a wardrobe.

FIGS. 1 a and 1 b show views of an athletic shoe (10) in accordance withan embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 1 a, a side perspective view ofthe athletic shoe (10) is shown, and, in FIG. 1 b, a rear perspectiveview of the athletic shoe (10) is shown.

Referring to FIG. 1 a, an athletic shoe (10) includes a sole (14) and anupper (12) attached to the sole (16). Further, attached to a side regionof the upper (12) is an insert pad (16). The insert pad (16) includes abacking (22) having an upper surface and a lower surface. On the uppersurface of the backing (22), an adhesive strip (18) is attached to aperimeter of the insert pad (16), and insert channels (20) are attachedinside the perimeter. Together, the adhesive strip (18) and the insertchannels (20) form a first part of a releasable attachment system.Further, the lower surface of the backing (22) is attached to a regionof the upper (12). In some embodiments, the backing (22) is formed of asemi-rigid material, such as a flexible synthetic plastic or a flexiblesynthetic rubber. Advantageously, over time and throughout use of theathletic shoe (10), the insert pad (16) may substantially retain itsshape, thereby facilitating attachment of a cover pad. However, thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that alternate materials may be usedto form the backing (22) without departing from the scope of theinvention.

Note that, although the insert pad (16) is shown to have three insertchannels (20) in FIG. 1 a, those skilled in the art will appreciate thatan alternate number of insert channels (20) may be used withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention. Further, those skilled in theart will appreciate that the dimensions of the insert pad (16) and/orplacement of the insert pad (16) on the upper (12) may be alteredwithout departing from the scope of the invention. In particular, aninsert pad (16) may encompass a smaller or larger region of the upper(12) and/or be placed in an alternate location, such as a toe region ofthe upper (12). In addition, the athletic shoe (10) may include as manyinsert pads (16) as necessary to desirably customize the ornamentation.For example, in some embodiments, insert pads (16) are included on botha left side and a right side of the athletic shoe (10).

Note that, as mentioned above, the insert pad (16) is attached to theupper (12) of the athletic shoe (10), rather than incorporated into theupper (12). Advantageously, the insert pad (16) may be fabricatedseparately from the athletic shoe (10) and attached to the athletic shoe(10) during a later phase of a manufacturing process. However, thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that, if beneficial to themanufacturing of the athletic shoe (10), the insert pad (16) may beincorporated into, rather than attached to, the upper (12). In such anembodiment, the adhesive strip (18) and insert channels (20) may bedirectly attached to a desired region of the athletic shoe's upper (12),rather than attached to a backing (22).

Referring to FIG. 1 b, a rear perspective view of the athletic shoe (10)is shown. Note that, in this view, only the upper (12), the sole (14),and the insert channels (20) are shown to aid in the understanding ofthe invention. In particular, a cross-sectional character of the insertchannels (20) is visible. Further, as is also visible, embodiments ofthe invention include insert pads (16) on both the left side and theright side of the athletic shoe (10). However, as mentioned above, analternate number of insert pads (16) may be used without departing fromthe scope of the invention.

FIGS. 2 a, 2 b, 2 c, and 2 d show views of a cover pad (24) inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 2 a, a frontview of the cover pad (24) is shown. In FIG. 2 b, a back view of thecover pad (24) is shown, and, in FIGS. 2 c and 2 d, cross-sectionalviews of the cover pad (24) are shown.

Referring to FIG. 2 a, a view of an upper surface of the cover pad (24)is shown. The cover pad (24) includes a backing (28) and an ornamentaldecoration (26) disposed on an upper surface of the backing (28). Thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that the ornamental decoration (28)may be of any design or conform to any standard conventional in theathletic shoe industry.

Referring to FIG. 2 b, a view of a lower surface of the cover pad (24)is shown. On a lower surface of the backing (28), an adhesive strip (30)is attached to a perimeter of the cover pad (24), and studs (32) areattached inside the perimeter. Together, the adhesive strip (30) and theinsert channels (32) form a second part of the releasable attachmentsystem.

Note that, as mentioned above for the insert pad (16), although thecover pad (24) is shown to have three studs (32), an alternate number ofstuds (32) may be used without departing from the scope of theinvention. As will be obvious to those skilled in the art, a number ofstuds (32) included on the cover pad (24) should equal a number ofinsert channels (32) included on the insert pad (16). Further, thedimensions of the cover pad (24) may be altered from the dimensionsshown without departing from the scope of the invention. As will beobvious to those skilled in the art, the dimensions of the cover pad(24) should be substantially the same as the dimensions of the insertpad (16) in order to facilitate mating of the adhesive strips (18, 30).As will also be obvious to those skilled in the art, the placement ofthe studs (32) on the backing (28) is such that mating with the insertchannels (20) is facilitated.

Referring to FIG. 2 c, a cross-sectional view of the cover pad (24) isshown. In particular, a cross-sectional character of the backing (28),the adhesive strip (30), and the insert channels (32) is visible.

Referring to FIG. 2 d, a cross-sectional view of the backing (28) isshown. The backing (22) includes a first layer (28 a) and a second layer(28 b). The first layer (28 a) forms an upper portion of the backing(22), and, thus, includes the ornamental decoration (26). The secondlayer (28 b) forms a lower portion of the backing (22), and, thus,includes the second part of the releasable attachment system. In someembodiments, the first layer (28 a) is formed of a material similar tothat used to form a region of the upper (12) surrounding the insert pad(16), such as a synthetic leather.

Further, in some embodiments, the second layer (28 b) is formed of asemi-rigid material, such as a flexible synthetic plastic or a flexiblesynthetic rubber. Advantageously, because the backing (28 b) is formedof first and second layers (28 a, 28 b) in the manner described above,the cover pad's (24) outer surface may match the athletic shoe's (10)appearance when attached, while, throughout use of the athletic shoe(10), the cover pad (24) may substantially retain its shape, therebyfacilitating attachment to the insert pad (16). Although syntheticleather, plastic, and rubber have been described above as being used toform the layers (28 a, 28 b) of the backing (22), those skilled in theart will appreciate that alternate materials may be used withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention.

FIGS. 3 a and 3 b show views of an assembly of an athletic shoe system(34) in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 3 a, aside perspective view of the assembly of the athletic shoe system (34)is shown, and, in FIG. 3 b, a rear perspective view of the assembly ofthe athletic shoe system (34) is shown.

Referring to FIG. 3 a, the cover pad (24) is shown in the process ofbeing attached to the athletic shoe (10). Note that, as is visible, onlya portion of the cover pad (24) is shown in the figure in order tofacilitate understanding of the invention. Further, note that, themanner and position in which the cover pad (24) is depicted are meantonly to show the placement of the cover pad (24) with respect to theinsert pad (16) and not to imply any manner of attaching the cover pad(24) to the insert pad (16).

Referring again to FIG. 3 a, an athletic shoe system (34) is shown toinclude the athletic shoe (10), the insert pad (16), and the cover pad(24). When attached to the athletic shoe (10), the cover pad (24) isaligned with the insert pad (16) such that lower surface of the coverpad's backing (28) faces the upper surface of the insert pad's backing(22). Further, the cover pad's adhesive strip (30) is mated with theinsert pad's adhesive strip (10) such that the adhesive strips (30, 18)are adhesively attached. Accordingly, together, the adhesive strips (30,18) form an adhesive attachment system. In addition, the cover pad'sstuds (32) are aligned with the insert pad's insert channels (20). As isdescribed below for FIGS. 4 a and 4 b, in some embodiments, the studs(32) and the insert channels (20) are interlockingly attached, orinterlocked, thereby forming a interlock attachment system.

In some embodiments, the adhesive attachment system is a hook and loopfastener system where one of the adhesive strips (18, 30) is formed froma material having a series of hooks, while the other of the adhesivestrips (18, 30) is formed from a material having a series of loops. Oneexample of a hook and loop fastener system that may be used inembodiments of the present invention is Velcro®. In such a system, theadhesive strips (18, 30) may be sewn and/or bonded respectively onto theinsert pad (16) and cover pad (24). However, those skilled in the artwill appreciate that other manners of attachment may be used inattaching the adhesive strips (18, 30). Those skilled in the art willalso appreciate that alternate adhesive attachment systems may be usedwithout departing from the scope of the invention. One such system is amagnetic attachment system. In addition, those skilled in the art willappreciate that the aforementioned adhesive attachment systems or anyalternate adhesive attachments systems may be combined to form anadhesive attachment system within the scope of the invention.

Further, in some embodiments, the interlock attachment system is a slotand track fastener system where the studs (32) are formed as tracksdesigned to slidably interlock with corresponding slots formed by theinsert channels (20). In some embodiments, the interlock attachmentsystem may be formed from a material such as rubber or plastic. Inalternate embodiments, either the insert channels (20) or the studs (32)may be formed from rubber, while the other of the two is formed fromplastic. In such systems, the insert channels (20) and the studs (32)may be respectively bonded onto the insert pad (16) and cover pad (24).However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that other manners ofattachment may be used in attaching the insert channels (20) and thestuds (32). Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that alternatematerials may be used to formed one or more of the insert channels (20)and/or studs (32). Further, those skilled in the art will appreciatethat alternate interlock attachment systems may be used withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention. One such system is a pressand lock fastener system in which the studs (32) are pressably lockedinto the insert channels (20). Those skilled in the art will appreciatethat the aforementioned interlock attachment systems or any alternateinterlock attachments systems may be combined to form an interlockattachment system within the scope of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3 b, a rear perspective view of the cover pad (24) inthe process of being attached to the athletic shoe (10) is shown. As ismentioned above for FIG. 3 a, the manner and position in which the coverpad (24) is depicted are meant only to show the placement of the coverpad (24) with respect to the insert pad (16) and not to imply any mannerof attaching the cover pad (24) to the insert pad (16). Further, in thisview, only portions of the cover pad (24) and the athletic shoe (10) areshown to facilitate understanding of the invention. In particular, across-sectional character of the insert channels (20) and the coverpad's studs (24) is shown. Accordingly, an alignment for interlocking,or releasably attaching, the studs (24) and the insert channels (20)together is visible in this view.

FIGS. 4 a and 4 b show views of slot and track interlock techniques inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention. In FIG. 4 a, afirst slot and track interlock technique is shown, and, in FIG. 4 b, asecond slot and track interlock technique is shown.

Referring to FIG. 4 a, a cross-sectional view of the athletic shoesystem (34) is shown, depicting the first interlock technique for thecover pad (24) and the insert pad (16). In particular, the cover pad(24) is provided with L-shaped studs (32) that are designed to interlockwith correspondingly L-shaped insert channels (20). Accordingly, thestuds (32) and insert channels (20) may be aligned in the manner shown,after which, the studs (32) may be pressed into the insert channels (20)and the cover pad (24) slid along the insert pad (16) until theperimeters formed by the adhesive strips (30, 18) are substantiallyaligned.

Referring to FIG. 4 b, a cross-sectional view of the athletic shoesystem (34) is shown, depicting the second interlock technique for thecover pad (24) and the insert pad (16). In particular, the cover pad(24) is provided with T-shaped studs (32) that are designed to interlockwith correspondingly T-shaped insert channels (20). Accordingly, thestuds (32) and insert channels (20) may be aligned in the manner shown,after which, the studs (32) may be pressed into the insert channels (20)and the cover pad (24) slid along the insert pad (16) until theperimeters formed by the adhesive strips (30, 18) are substantiallyaligned.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the interlock techniquesdepicted in FIGS. 4 a and 4 b may be combined together and/or with anyother slot and track interlock techniques common in the art withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention. Further, as mentioned above,those skilled in the art will appreciate that the slot and trackinterlock techniques described may be combined or replaced with otherinterlock techniques common in the art.

Note that, by providing both an adhesive attachment system and aninterlock attachment system in the releasable attachment system, thepresent invention ensures that the cover pad (24) may be securelyattached to the insert pad (16). Advantageously, during use of theathletic shoe (10), a consumer may be assured that the cover pad (24)will remain attached to the athletic shoe (10), and, thus, not be lost.

Further, note that, although the insert pad's insert channels (20) andthe cover pad's studs (32) depicted in FIGS. 1 a, 2 b, and 3 a are shownto have a substantially linear shape and uniform alignment, alternateshapes and/or alignment patterns may be used for the insert channels(20) and studs (32) without departing from the scope of the invention.In some embodiments, such alternate shapes and/or alignment patterns maybe used to accommodate alternate interlock techniques and/or to maximizethe effectiveness of the abovementioned interlock techniques. Further,in some embodiments, such alternate shapes and/or alignment patterns maybe used to facilitate manufacturing of the athletic shoe system.Embodiments of athletic shoe systems using such alternate shapes andalignment patterns are depicted in FIGS. 5 a and 5 b.

Referring to FIG. 5 a, an athletic shoe system (36) having an athleticshoe (38) and a cover pad (44) is shown. Attached to the athletic shoe(38) is an insert pad (40), where insert channels (42) are attached toan upper surface of the insert pad (40). Also, attached to an uppersurface of the cover pad (44) are corresponding studs (46). As can beseen in FIG. 5 a, both the insert channels (42) and studs (46) arecurved in shape and are arranged in a zigzag pattern. In reference tothe curved shape, those skilled in the art will appreciate that curvedinsert channels (42) and studs (46) may be used in either the slot andtrack or press and lock interlock systems mentioned above to moresecurely attach the cover pad (44) to the insert pad (40). Further, inreference to the zigzag alignment pattern, those skilled in the art willappreciate that such an alignment of the insert channels (42) and studs(46) may also increase the security of the cover pad's (44) attachmentto the insert pad (40).

Referring to FIG. 5 b, an athletic shoe system (48) having an athleticshoe (50) and a cover pad (56) is shown. Attached to the athletic shoe(50) is an insert pad (52), where insert channels (54) are attached toan upper surface of the insert pad (52). Also, attached to an uppersurface of the cover pad (56) are corresponding studs (58). As can beseen in FIG. 5 b, both the insert channels (54) and studs (58) arecylindrical in shape and are arranged in a grid pattern. In reference tothe cylindrical shape, those skilled in the art will appreciate thatcylindrical insert channels (54) and studs (58) may work well in a pressand lock interlock system such as mentioned above. Further, in referenceto the grid alignment pattern, those skilled in the art will appreciatethat such an alignment of the insert channels (54) and studs (58) may beused to increase the security of the cover pad's (44) attachment to theinsert pad (40).

Advantages of the present invention may include one or more of thefollowing. In one or more embodiments, because an athletic shoe havingan insert pad including a first part of a releasable attachment systemis provided with a plurality of interchangeable cover pads eachincluding a second part of a releasable attachment system, anappearance, or ornamentation, of the athletic shoe may be altered, orcustomized.

In one or more embodiments, because an insert pad is attached to anupper of an athletic shoe, rather than incorporated in the upper, theinsert pad may be fabricated separately from the athletic shoe andattached to the athletic shoe during a later phase of a manufacturingprocess.

In one or more embodiments, because a releasable attachment system of anathletic shoe system is provided with both an adhesive attachment systemand an interlock attachment system, a cover pad attached to an insertpad of the athletic shoe may remain securely attached throughout use ofthe athletic shoe.

While the invention has been described with respect to a limited numberof embodiments, those skilled in the art, having benefit of thisdisclosure, will appreciate that other embodiments can be devised whichdo not depart from the scope of the invention as disclosed herein.Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be limited only by theattached claims.

1. An athletic shoe system, comprising: an athletic shoe having anupper; at least one insert pad attached to a region of the upper, the atleast one insert pad comprising a first part of a releasable attachmentsystem; and at least one cover pad having substantially the samedimensions as the at least one insert pad, wherein the at least onecover pad comprises a second part of the releasable attachment systemand is arranged to be releasably attached to the at least one insert padusing the releasable attachment system.
 2. The athletic shoe system ofclaim 1, wherein the releasable attachment system comprises: an adhesiveattachment system; and an interlock attachment system.
 3. The athleticshoe system of claim 2, wherein the adhesive attachment systemcomprises: a first adhesive strip attached to a perimeter of an uppersurface of the at least one insert pad; and a second adhesive stripattached to a perimeter of a lower surface of the at least one cover padand arranged to be adhesively attached to the first adhesive strip. 4.The athletic shoe system of claim 2, wherein the interlock attachmentsystem comprises: at least one insert channel attached to an uppersurface of the at least one insert pad; and at least one stud attachedto a lower surface of the at least one cover pad and arranged to beinterlockingly attached to the at least one insert channel.
 5. Theathletic shoe system of claim 2, wherein the adhesive attachment systemis a hook and loop fastener system.
 6. The athletic shoe system of claim2, wherein the interlock attachment system is a slot and track fastenersystem.
 7. The athletic shoe system of claim 2, wherein the interlockattachment system is a press and lock fastener system.
 8. The athleticshoe system of claim 2, wherein the interlock attachment system isformed of one selected from a plastic material and a rubber material. 9.The athletic shoe system of claim 1, wherein the first part of thereleasable attachment system comprises: an adhesive strip attached to aperimeter of an upper surface of the at least one insert pad; and atleast one insert channel attached to an upper surface of the at leastone insert pad.
 10. The athletic shoe system of claim 1, wherein thesecond part of the releasable attachment system comprises: an adhesivestrip attached to a perimeter of a lower surface of the at least onecover pad; and at least one stud attached to a lower surface of the atleast one cover pad.
 11. The athletic shoe system of claim 1, whereinthe at least one insert pad comprises a backing having an upper surface,and wherein the first part of the releasable attachment system isattached to the upper surface.
 12. The athletic shoe system of claim 11,wherein the backing is formed of one selected from a flexible syntheticrubber material or a flexible synthetic plastic material.
 13. Theathletic shoe system of claim 1, wherein the at least one cover padcomprises a backing having a lower surface, and wherein the second partof the releasable attachment system is attached to the lower surface.14. The athletic shoe system of claim 13, wherein the backing comprisesan upper surface having an ornamental decoration.
 15. The athletic shoesystem of claim 14, the backing comprising: a first layer having theornamental decoration; and a second layer having the second part of thereleasable attachment system, wherein the second layer is juxtaposed toand attached to the first layer.
 16. The athletic shoe system of claim15, wherein the first layer is formed of a synthetic leather material.17. The athletic shoe system of claim 15, wherein the second layer isformed of one selected from of a flexible synthetic plastic material anda flexible synthetic rubber material.
 18. An athletic shoe set,comprising: a plurality of cover pads; a pair of athletic shoes, eachathletic shoe comprising: an upper; and at least one insert pad attachedto a region of the upper and having substantially the same dimensions ofat least one of the cover pads, wherein the at least one insert pad ofeach of the pair of athletic shoes is arranged to be releasably attachedto at least one cover pad of the plurality of cover pads.
 19. Theathletic shoe set of claim 18, wherein each cover pad of the pluralityof cover pads comprises a unique ornamental decoration, and wherein anornamentation of athletic shoe set is changed by replacing the cover padattached to the at least one insert pad of at least one athletic shoe ofthe pair of athletic shoes with another cover pad of the plurality ofcover pads.
 20. The athletic shoe set of claim 19, wherein each of theat least one insert pads comprises: an adhesive strip attached to aperimeter of the at least one insert pad; and at least one insertchannel attached to a surface of the at least one insert pad.
 21. Theathletic shoe set of claim 20, wherein each cover pad of the pluralityof cover pads comprises: an adhesive strip attached to a perimeter ofthe at least one cover pad; and at least one stud attached to a surfaceof the at least one cover pad.
 22. The athletic shoe set of claim 21,wherein the adhesive strip of each of the at least one insert pads isreleasably attachable to the adhesive strip of at least one cover pad ofthe plurality of cover pads, and wherein the at least one insert channelof each of the at least one insert pads is releasably attachable to atleast one stud of at least one cover pad of the plurality of cover pads.23. A method for ornamenting an athletic shoe, comprising: releasablyattaching a first cover pad having an first ornamental decoration to aninsert pad disposed on the athletic shoe, wherein releasably attachingthe cover pad comprises: interlockingly attaching the cover pad to theinsert pad using a interlock attachment system; and adhesively attachingthe cover pad to the insert pad using an adhesive attachment system. 24.The method of claim 23, wherein an ornamentation of the athletic shoe ischanged by replacing the first cover pad with the first ornamentaldecoration with a second cover pad having a second ornamentaldecoration.